Beet-chopper.



w. BUILER. BEET CHOPPER. APPLICATION FI LED IULY 30, I9]!- 1,25'0,794. Patented Dec. 18,1917.

WILLIflM BU T'LE'R 2 operation upon a plurality of rows'of beets EwILIlrArt'BU'rLEmor one BEACH, 'cartroaivm. ff

BEE'r-cHorrnn,

To all whom it may concern:

. Be it known that'I, WILLIAM BUTLER,.a citizen of. the'United f States, residing at Long Beach, in the county ofLos 'Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Beet Choppers, of whichthe following is a specification.

My object is to improve the lay-out and details ofconstructionof a beet chopper and to produce a beet chopperadapted for simultaneously. .4

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a. beet chopper embodying the principles of my invention and looking in the direction indicated by the arrow..1'in Fig.2. Y

Fig. 2 is a top plan view. w The traction wheelsil and, 2sare fixed upon the main axle 3 was to rotate the axle.. The mainframe comprises bearings 4, 5, 6 and'7 in which the axle-3 rotates,sidebars 8 and 9 extending from the bearings '4 and 7 ,backwardly, and upwardlynand parallel to each other,.the'-rear crossbar 10. connecting the rear ends of the side bars 8 and'j9v and parallel with the axle 3, and intermediate bars 11 and 12 connecting the bearings 5 and 6*to therearbar 10. The frame thus constructed is inclined inside elevation, the rear end being substantially twice as high as the forward end, and a caster 13 supports the rear end. A baseplate 14 is inserted crosswise at the centers of the bars 11 and 12 and supports the seat 15. A tongue 16 is provided for applying any sort of power.

The secondary frame comprises the hangers 17 and 18 mounted upon the axle 3 between the wheels 1 and 2 and the bearings rear bar 21. Caster wheels 24 and 25 extend downwardly from the bar 23 and in positions to run between the rows of beets and support the rear part of thesecondary frame. In side elevation the secondary frame is normally level.

Posts 26 extend uuwardly from the bar .23, and a bar 27 is rigidly mounted upon the upper ends of these posts parallel with the bar 23. A hand-lever 28 .is mounted. upon shaft 37.

' 'speacaiade rees. Patented neeiaian. Applicationfiled'July 20,1917. Seria1N0.183,591.

the-pivot'29 in the vbearingblock 3fl' ifixed upon the bar 11,-an'd a: link 31. connects the hand-lever to..the 110M527. -A' pawl 32.:is mounted upon the end ofthe draw-bar 33 in the .bearing 34 fixed to thehand-lever 28 and engages the toothed rack35 extending upwardly from'the bar'll. A grip 36'upon the hand-lever operates the-pawl 32 so that bymanipulating the grip 36 and the handlever 28 the secondary frame may be raised 7 or lowered, 1 V

The main driving shaft 37 is mounted in bearings near the forward ends'of the bars l9 and 20 of the secondary frame, and .a chain 38 connectsthe sprocket 39upon the shaft 37 to the driving sprocket 40 fixed upon the axle 3, sotha-t as the machine moves forwardlyupon thefground. the rotation ofthe traction-wheels ,1 and 2 will rotate the The. chopper shafts 41, 42, 43 and 44 are mounted longitudinally upon the bars 21, 22 and 23 and in'parallel positions. Clutch members 45- are slidinglygsplined'upon the shafts 41, 42, 43 and 44, and complementary clutch member's 46 are loosely mounted upon the shafts behind the bearings '47 and are rigidly connected to'the bevel pinions'48, 49, 50 and 51, said bevel pinions meshing with bevel gears 52, 53, 54 and 55 fixed upon the 3 driving shaft 37. T he hand-levers 56 have grips 57 controlling pawls 58 engaging racks 59 fixed to the bar 27, andthe lower ends of the levers engage the clutch members 45, so that by manipulating the hand-levers 56 any desired one of the shafts 41, 42, 43 and 44 may be thrown into or out of gear..

Chopper heads 60 are fixed upon the rear ends of the shafts 41, 42, 43 and 44, arms 61 extend radially from the heads, and chopping blades 62 are fixed upon the outer ends of the arms, so that when the choppers are in gear and the machine moves forwardly the blades 62 will strike the row of beets at intervals and chop out spaces fiveor six inches long in the rows.

In raising sugar beets, the seeds are planted in continuous rows about eighteen inches apart and when the plants are very young ning the beets. The machine shown in Fig.

2 is adapted for simultaneously operating upon four parallel rows of beets. The blades may be from four to six inches long and the-choppers should be geared so that the chopper is used to cut out spaces inthe rows as a preliminary operation in thinthe blades Will strike at intervals and leave hills of beets betweenthe spaces cut out.

Various changes may-bemade in the'de tails of construction and the machine may be made to operate upon any desired number of rows without departing y from the spirit f my invention as set up in the following claims I claim: r1. l beet-choppercomprising van axle, tIEIClSlOllwWllBGlS rigidly fixed upon the axle, a;.ma in frame having hearings in Which the I axle rotates a caster under the rear of the main -'-frame, :a secondary frame under the mainframeand supported at the-front by theaxle, casters supporting the rear of the secondary frame, a driving shaft in the seeondary frame parallel with the axle and Cl1lV611"fI'0II1'l'/l1e axle, and a pluralityof chopper shafts upon the secondary frame and connected to thedriving shaft.

'2. A beet chopper comprising an axle,

traction Wheels rigidly fixed upon theaxle,

shafts upon the secondary frame, and

clutches for connecting the chopper shafts to the driving shaft.

beet chopper comprising an axle,

.tractionwheels rigidly fixed upon the axle, a main frame having hearlngs 1n whlch the axle rotates,--a caster "under the rear of the mainframe, a secondary frame under the mainframe and supported at the front by theuaxle,ocasters supporting the rear of the secondary'frame, a driving shaft in the 'sec ondary :fra1ne:;parallel With the axle and driven from the axle, a plurality of chopper shafts upon the secondary frame and con nected to the driving shaft, and; adjustable means for-raisin-gand lowering the rear of to the driving shaft; clutches f for throwing the chopper shafts'intoand out of gear, and

choppers upon: the rear. ends of the chopper shafts. 1 a

In testimony whereof Iv'havesig-ned my name to this specification.

WILLIAM BUTLER.

Gopies of; this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by. addressing: the fCon -missicner oflatents,

Washington, 1). O. 

